To get a job in a challenging economic climate, sometimes people have to take extreme measures.
If you are someone searching for a job and are ready to go to extremes to get one, there are a lot of opportunities out there. It’s all a matter of what you are willing to do.
Where Are the Jobs?
If you live in an area where the employment rate is high and it doesn’t look like things will be changing anytime soon, perhaps you should consider moving to an area with more jobs available. For example, consider this: right now, the unemployment rate for North Dakota is 3.3%. That’s right, at a time when the national unemployment rate is over 9%, some states are doing just fine. Some, in fact, such as North Dakota, are having trouble finding enough people to fill all the positions available. Recently, CBS News ran a story on its nightly newscast regarding North Dakota and the area’s problem filling jobs in newly discovered oil fields. Because of the influx of oil workers, more people are needed for jobs that support them, such as building construction, salespeople, and wait staff.
North Dakota isn’t the only state doing well either. Others such as Virginia, Wyoming, Vermont, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Nebraska all have unemployment rates at or below 6%. Here’s a chart you can use to see the unemployment rates for all fifty states if you’re interested.
If you’re fed up with looking for a job here in the USA, perhaps you’d consider moving to another country where the unemployment rate is lower. Australia is a good example. Not only is it an English-speaking country, but it has gone pretty much untouched in the current economic downturn that has caused so many problems for so much of the western world. As of this writing, Australia’s jobless rate is merely 5.1 percent. So if your passport is up to date, you might want to start looking online for jobs right away.
Australia is just one country doing well; others like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Austria have meager unemployment rates. Bear in mind, though, if you seek a job in one of these countries, you’ll likely need demonstrable skills or even a degree in a field relevant to whatever is in short supply.
Another possibility is the military. Uncle Sam is almost always hiring. If the thought of combat frightens you, consider the Air Force or Navy instead of the Army or Marines. Both branches are a little more challenging to get into than in past years, but if you did well in high school or, better yet, are in college, then opportunities abound.
One Final Option for Making Money
You may always try the stock market. While clearly, this is an option for those with little or nothing to lose, it can be an opportunity for those willing to take a chance.
In tough economic times, the stock market runs like a roller coaster. We’ve seen both vast gains and considerable losses in just the past few months. While clearly, this is not a favorable situation for people who invest in the market hoping for long-term security, it’s a boon for people willing to gamble. Imagine, for example; you have $100 to “play” with. If you wait for a drop in the market and then invest your $100 in a well-known stock, you might find that when the stock market rebounds the next day, you’ve made some money. Based on the way the stock market has been behaving lately, you might have even doubled your investment. But, of course, You have to sell through to make money as soon as the market rallies. It would help if you were invested in all the money you make when the market goes down again. It’s a never-ending cycle. You buy when the market sinks and sell when it rebounds, over and over again. With each cycle, you compound your investment, eventually building up some real cash. Trying to make money this way is not for everyone because you could lose all of your money at any time. For some, though, it might be the ideal strategy.
Finding a job in a challenging economic climate is difficult but not generally impossible. In many cases, it’s just a matter of stepping outside of your comfort zone and taking some chances.
